


with our hearts in the clouds

by nekrateholic



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Established Relationship, F/M, Fem!chanyeol, fem!baekhyun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-06
Updated: 2017-09-06
Packaged: 2018-12-22 07:06:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11962260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nekrateholic/pseuds/nekrateholic
Summary: [Prompt #H14] Chanyeon has some insecurities and Yixing is right there to chase them away.





	with our hearts in the clouds

Chanyeon took a moment to stare wistfully at the rack housing the evening dresses at the store she and Baekhee had just walked in. She only allowed herself a brief touch to the soft chiffon skirt of a lavender gown that looked like something out of a fairy tale. 

Baekhee laughed as she tugged her towards the shorter, less fancy cocktail dresses. “You look like someone’s taken your puppy away.”

“Do you have any idea how rare it is that I can get away with wearing fancy long dresses?” Chanyeon pouted. She threw a last wistful glance at the evening dresses and buried her hands in the mass of lace, satin and sequins that made the cocktail dresses rack.

Baekhee took out royal blue satin dress. “Well, too bad this is not one of those times.” She looked at the dress disapprovingly before putting it back on the rack. “I’ll always envy the monsters that somehow manage to make royal blue look good.”

That made Chanyeon laugh, even though she was still sulky about the evening dresses. “You could pull off royal blue just fine, if you stopped insisting you hate it.”

“I _do_ hate it!” Baekhee huffed, and Chanyeon stiffled a giggle. It was a useless argument. “Look!” She exclaimed a second later, holding up a baby blue dress with half-sleeves. There were rows of silver sequins criss-crossing on the top, crawling down the poofy skirt like sparkly blue vines.

“Uh,” it was cute, definitely but - “I was thinking of something a little fancier.” Honestly, the blue dress was something Chanyeon would probably wear to a coffee date with Yixing. It was a _gallery opening_ they were preparing for.

Baekhee frowned. “This is fancy though. You could wear it with shorter heels, too.”

Chanyeon frowned right back at her. “I don’t want short heels, though.”

“But...” Baekhee kept eye contact with the dress more than with Chanyeon. “Yixing is already shorter than you? Wouldn’t it look weird?” 

“Yixing likes me in heels.” Chanyeon said, tone final. It sounded way more confident than she felt.

Baekhee didn’t mention her height again.

*

In the end, she bought a pearl pink sleeveless dress with a scoop neck and just enough sequins to sparkle but not take away from the elegance of the model. She bought the baby blue one too because it really _was_ cute, and Yixing liked to take her out on coffee dates.

The original plan had been to go shoe shopping as well but Chanyeon had waved Baekhee off the second she even looked at the nearest shoe store in the mall, with the excuse that she was tired.

She was positive Baekhee knew that it was just that - an excuse, but she said nothing and Chanyeon found herself enjoying the guilt in her eyes.

*

As expected, Yixing was nowhere to be seen when she got home. He was most likely still up in his studio, covered in paint despite the apron Chanyeon regularly bullied him into wearing and stressing over the opening, although he’d never admit to that last part. Chanyeon changed into one of Yixing’s paint-splattered shirts, made two cups of tea and headed upstairs.

Most of the walls were covered in sketches in various stages of completion - most of them of her. Chanyeon fondly remembered the time Yixing showed her his first drawing of her - it was still in the first stages of their relationship and Yixing had been shy about it - in the drawing, she was holding her way too-high heels in one hand, her phone in the other, hair a mess. She was illuminated by the light of a street lamp, and the background was dark - it had been nighttime, after all. Chanyeon remembered the moment from the drawing as well - one of her wilder nights in college, months before she and Yixing even got introduced to each other. She was pretty sure she was drunk, or at least tipsy and she highly doubted she exuded the grace that Chanyeon in the picture had. 

(Yixing had told her, the day he was finally brave enough show her the drawing, that he’d hailed a cab right after she did and stayed up all night to finish it.)

Yixing only noticed her when she put the cup close enough for the smell of blueberry to reach him.

“Hi,” he smiled and reached up to peck her lips, then bop her nose, carefully keeping his paintbrush away from her clothes. “I didn’t expect you home so soon?”

“Turns out shopping can be tiring, who could guess.”

“Is everything okay?” Yixing frowned immediately, arm flailing a little. Drops of purple paint ended up on Chanyeon’s shirt but she’d expected that already - that’s why she was in Yixing’s clothes in the first place.

She kissed his forehead. “Nothing to worry your pretty artist head over. I’ll be downstairs, please don’t forget to come down. I want to show you the dresses I bought.”

Yixing grinned. “How much do I have this time?”

Chanyeon tapped her chin in thought. “Until the tea goes cold.”

“But,” the smile fell off his lips. “I have so much left to do! Can’t it at least be until I finish it?”

“Nice try buddy. You and I both know if it’s until you finish it you’re never coming down those stairs. You’ll figure it out. See you in a bit, love.” She blew him a kiss and headed downstairs, trying not to laugh out loud at thought of the horror that was surely on Yixing’s face as he stared between her retreating back and his easel.

*

As expected, about fifteen minutes later Yixing came down the stairs, frowning and holding a half empty cup of cold tea. Chanyeon beamed at him. “I love you. Now settle comfortably because you’re about to experience a private fashion show with your one and only destined soulmate as the star model.”

Chanyeon set off for the bedroom and Yixing set his cup on the coffee table. Before he could even think about sitting down, however, Chanyeon poked her her head through the door and threw a shirt at him. A pair of sweatpants soon followed. “Do not even think about placing your paint stained ass anywhere near our pretty couch, I am not fond of cleaning that thing every week.”

“So bossy,” Yixing grumbled, trying very hard to keep the fond smile off his voice. He ignored Chanyeon’s cheery _I heard that_ from the bedroom.

Yixing had just changed (and obediently thrown his “artist clothes” as Chanyeon called them, in the general direction of the hamper) when Chanyeon strutted in in the blue dress, curtsying. She pretended to walk a runway between the bedroom door and the couch and finished with a twirl in front of Yixing. It made the skirts of her dress lift up a little and she giggled before flopping right into his lap. She shoved the sequined sleeve in his face.

“What do you think? I don’t plan to be in this at the opening but, you know, it was so cute I just...”

Yixing laughed and took her hand in his. “Of course you didn’t baby.”

“So what do you think? Wait, no, how did they do it in the movies,” she straightened up in his lap and schooled her expression into a serious one. “Honey, does this dress make me look fat?”

She kept the straight face approximately two seconds before she burst out laughing. Yixing gave her his best puzzled face and said, “Of course not, dear. You look like you’d fit in two seats now, instead of three.” 

“Why thank you.” Chanyeon then flicked his forehead. “Now tell me do you like it. I thought it would look good for a coffee date even if it’s a little fancy, but you know. Sparkles.”

Yixing ruffled her hair. “All the people at the cafè will be jealous of me. Well, more than they already are, I mean.”

Chanyeon laughed. “Nice save. Okay, now the opening dress. I’ll be back in a second!”

A few minutes later, however, she poked her head out of the bedroom again. “Uh. Yixing? Could you maybe help me zip this thing up?”

“Why don’t you just come out here and let me zip it up?”

“Obviously, because that would ruin the private fashion show,” she grinned. “Come on, we don’t have all day.”

“Really? And what else does our busy schedule include then?” Yixing made a show of getting up as slow as possible, to Chanyeon’s exasperated eyeroll. “Besides, I will have seen your dress already, doesn’t that kind of ruin the fashion show already?”

“Shut up, it absolutely does not.” As soon as he was close enough, Chanyeon dug a finger in his chest. “It does not ruin the fashion show and you will get back on that couch and _like it_ young man. After you’ve helped me with this damn dress, of course. And, for the record, our schedule is pretty busy indeed, it includes a lot of making out on the couch because I did not have the best day today and I demand couch makeouts. Okay? Okay.”

Yixing’s exaggerated smirk immediately morphed into a frown. “You said something like that earlier, too. Is everything okay?” He zipped her dress up and turned her around so she could face him. “Did you and Baekhee have a fight? Was someone rude to you? Do I have to go protective macho man mode on someone? Because I would.”

That made Chanyeon laugh. “I’m not sure what’s more entertaining, the image of you trying to beat someone up for me or knowing that you’d actually do it. Well,” she added, tapping her chin, “the second one is kinda flattering, I guess. But really unnecessary. It’s fine, love, it’s not important right now.” She gently pushed Yixing out of the room. “Now go back to the living room and pretend my wardrobe issue didn’t happen. I’ll tell you all about my shitty day later.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” and then, just to be a pain, Yixing quickly ruffled her hair before she could slap his hand off. He went back to the couch way faster than he left it, laughing at Chanyeon’s murderous glare.

When she strutted in a few minutes later, hair hastily fixed but still sticking in places, Yixing barely stopped himself from gasping like the cliche anime character he sometimes felt like in Chanyeon’s presence. It wasn’t anything specific either - the dress, although pretty, was nothing particularly awe inspiring, and excluding that, Chanyeon had a perfectly trivial everyday look. Still, it hit him, like it did quite often, really - how beautiful she was, how perfect. He wanted to draw her, again. None of these thoughts left his mouth, however. There was time for waxing poetic about how much he loved her and the time was not that exact moment.

He settled for, “Pretty.” 

Chanyeon grinned at him and twirled, then motioned for him to get up. “You’ll have to help me take this off, too. And then we can have all the heart-to-hearts in the world.”

“Asking me to take your clothes off doesn’t exactly lead to heart-to-hearts usually,” Yixing waggled his eyebrows as he followed her, even though she couldn't see him. 

She could probably hear it in his voice, anyway because she called out a, “Perv!” before disappearing into the bedroom.

*

Twenty minutes and two cups of hot chocolate later they were cuddled in front of the TV, with The Bold and the Beautiful reruns on. It was a show neither of them really followed but Chanyeon had spent a lot of her childhood watching it with her grandma. The noise helped her relax like nothing else.

“Okay, now spill.” Yixing said softly, his fingers slowly carding through Chanyeon’s long hair.

She sighed. “It’s nothing… Nothing particularly bad, or new. It’s just, we were in the store today and Baekhee made some comments about my height and the type of dresses I should and shouldn't be wearing.”

Yixing frowned. “What does your height have to do with the dresses you’re wearing?”

“Heels, dummy.” Chanyeon laughed. “The dresses I like to wear tend to be very… demanding and heels tend to be internationally accepted as super fancy. That, and I just like them a lot. Baekhee’s words weren't even that mean but three people this week asked me what’s the weather up there and - I never asked to be a giant, you know. I’m already a bit taller than you and today just made me think, how will it look if your date sticks out like a giant, sore thumb. It’s your night, I don't want to overshadow you - literally or figuratively.

Yixing clicked his tongue. “You talk like you’re just some arm candy there to make me look good. And I mean, you do make me look good because you make people wonder how an airhead like me ended up tricking someone like you into loving me. You make me look good because you _are_ good and I would never, ever ask you to compromise with yourself for me.” Chanyeon stayed quiet, although her grip on his arm had tightened a little. Yixing grinned. “And besides, have you seen yourself in heels? That’s a sight the entire world should be honoured to experience.”

“Really?” Chanyeon sniffled in his shoulder.

“Baby,” Yixing sighed, but there was a fond smile somewhere in there, Chanyeon could hear it. “You might be taller than me but your heart is right where it needs to be. With mine.”  
Chanyeon sniffled again. “Falling for an artist was the best decision in my life, even the paint stains are worth it.”

Yixing laughed. “Hey, I’m getting better with those!”

“Yeah, yeah. Because I’m always there to nag you out of your artist clothes.” Chanyeon giggled, and then straightened up in his lap. “Now I distinctly remember something about making out on the couch.”

“So demanding,” Yixing grumbled, but when Chanyeon’s lips met his, he was smiling again.

*

Chanyeon had the next day off too but Yixing had a meeting with the gallery owner at lunch that would probably stretch into late afternoon. None of these things registered, however, when Yixing mercilessly drew the curtains and a bleary look at the bedside clock told Chanyeon it’s 7am.

He proceeded to finish waking her up with kisses, though, so by the time she rolled out of bed she didn’t feel like strangling him anymore.

“Please tell me you have a good reason to wake me up before noon on my day off.” She said, voice flat, as she emerged from the bathroom some twenty minutes later. She wouldn’t sleep until noon even if he hadn’t woken her up and they both knew that, but Chanyeon was still feeling the leftover grumpiness from being forced awake when she didn’t plan to, so Yixing just played along.

“Of course I do, love.” He ruffled her hair when she passed him and she hissed at him. Yixing laughed. “It involves coffee and pancakes and that shoe shopping trip you missed yesterday.”

Chanyeon sighed. “I love you. Wait, shopping trip?”

Yixing slid a plate of pancakes towards her. “I have a meeting with the gallery owner but I thought we could go out before that? I’m pretty sure most shops at the mall open around ten and I know you wake up slowly so…” Chanyeon stared at him, coffee mug frozen halfway to her mouth. He fidgeted. “I’m sorry? Okay, this was probably a bad idea, I should’ve warned you or asked you first or-”

She put the mug down, reached to fist a hand in his collar and dragged him across the table. Yixing blinked at her. “I love you,” she said against his lips, then kissed him, then whispered a, “so, so much.”

*

The first store they visited had an abnormal number of overpriced, ugly stilettos so of course Yixing offered her the most obnoxious pairs under the glares of a half-asleep shop assistant. Chanyeon hit him with her bag as soon as they were out of the store, but found it really hard to stifle her laughter.

In the second store, Chanyeon fell in love with a beautiful pair of silver high heel sandals with beads that looked a lot like the beads on her dress. The price was quite a bit over their budget, however, so she walked away decisively until Yixing dragged her back and threatened to buy them for her behind her back. Yixing was the love of her life, yes, but he _never_ managed to get her size right. So she sighed, turned back and tried not to feel guilty about going home with a four hundred dollar pair of shoes _or_ being happy about it.

They even managed to have lunch together before Yixing had to leave for his meeting. She refused to even consider letting him pay. 

When Chanyeon went home, she made herself another coffee and set out to make Yixing’s favourite cupcakes.

*

“So how did the opening go?” Baekhee asked over a cup of hot chocolate a few days later. Chanyeon was on her lunch break, trading quick access to cafeteria food for the cupcakes in a tiny bakery two blocks down from her office. “I saw pictures on facebook, you both looked amazing!”

Chanyeon sighed, cradling her chin with a smile. “It was amazing. I was super nervous but Yixing has a way, you know? Somehow he always makes me feel like… I don't know, a goddess? I know it sounds dumb but I swear, this guy is magic. Everyone complimented him, God, I was so proud. Finally people recognize him for the amazing artist he is! Do you know he sold a few paintings the same night? He got offers for a few more the day after, too, I’m so terribly proud of him.” 

“Hey,” Baekhee started, voice uncharacteristically quiet. “I’m sorry for the last time. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad.”

Chanyeon’s smile dimmed a little, but didn't disappear. “I know you didn't. It still hurt, though. You know, it takes effort not to be self conscious around him although he never stops repeating how good I look in heels, even if I kinda dwarf him.”

Baekhee smiled back. “You look really cute together. Like, you can see it in each of your faces, it’s like you were meant for each other or something.”

“You wanna know a secret?” Chanyeon bit her lip. “It feels like that, too.”

*

That night, when she came back from work, Yixing had fallen asleep on the kitchen table, next to an unlit candle. The kitchen itself smelled like meat that has spent a little too long in the oven and Chanyeon cursed each and every document that kept her the extra two hours she stayed in the office. 

“Baby,” she touched Yixing’s forehead, then carded her fingers through his hair.

Yixing stirred, then blinked blearily at her. “Oh, you’re back. See, I totally planned to surprise you,” his speech was interrupted by a yawn and Chanyeon bit back a giggle. “But I kinda burned the steak and then you were late and I must have… Sorry, I kinda stayed a little late last night.”

“Yeah, I noticed. How about,” she hung her purse on the back of a chair and went to open the oven. A gust of black smoke hit her and she closed it right back. “How about we order pizza, and then we can watch a movie.” She lifted a finger, shaking it in Yixing’s face. “Do not even think about the studio, you need rest and I need a boyfriend to cuddle.”

Yixing laughed. “Okay. Movie date it is.”

**Author's Note:**

> Dear prompter, I couldn’t figure out how to fit the skincare bit into the fic itself and I am so, so sorry. As a consolation, please imagine this:  
> Yixing makes fun of Chanyeon for taking so long in the bathroom but then secretly binge watches skincare routine videos on youtube and tries to learn what does what and which brand has the best products, then randomly buys her each one and pretends it was on a whim.  
> In turn, Chanyeon takes night art classes, sucks at it but tries her best to draw them together anyway. Yixing cries a little, frames it and hangs it in his studio because Chanyeon refuses to have to see it every day in the living room.


End file.
